Motivating the World, One Person at a Time

Well...

It certainly has been long enough hasn't it dear readers?

Well, shall we say that some turbulence in my life and general busyness and such has kept me away for far too long. But all is not lost, I have made some art in my time away and had a good reassessment of my life. The sun is still shining. The birds are still singing. And there is still plenty of art to be made! So here I am, with my first blog post since September.

So as cheesy and corny as it sounds to mention it, I turned 20 on Wednesday. No longer the teenager of the nineties but now a young adult. And since I have started working at my Christmas job, I realised something quite powerful.

Do you ever feel defeated by the world? By the people that are supposed to care about you? Have you ever wondered what you're doing with your life at the moment? Well, maybe if we all just started believing in one another's dreams a bit more, maybe the world would be a better place. On my birthday, I bumped into one of my old friends from High school. She didn't know it was my birthday but was an avid follower of the artwork I posted on Instagram. She told me that she thought I was really making something of my life and that I need to post so much more often. When I started my training for my new job, I had to do a quick sketch for a teamwork activity. My teammates and other trainees were so impressed that they started interrogating me as to why I don't draw more.

Why have I not been drawing more?

I stopped believing in my ability to create my own success.

But.

When people tell you out of the goodness of their hearts, that they think you are special, that you have something unique to bring to the world, it is probably one of the most inspiring forms of motivation I have yet to witness. Total strangers telling me they think I could change the world with my art, if that isn't good enough motivation, I don't know what is.

So dear readers, tell someone today, a stranger, a friend, your partner, tell them you believe in their dreams and their goals and watch the transformation.

Until we meet again
Talia

Growing Pains

It has been more than two weeks sans me posting, I must apologise dear readers. There has been so much going on lately that a blog post has been the last thing I've been able to accomplish. But anyhow... Here I am! I've just updated my Art & Other Creative Items Page to include some of the new paintings I've been making for class.

So today, dear readers, I am here to share some of my feelings on Growing Up. Yes. That huge scary term that seems to be tethered and loaded with responsibility... And that's because it really is. But growing up isn't a bad thing. It means... well it means more freedom. The thing about growing up is that it's not just about doing responsible things (like making your bed and doing the dishes), it's also about YOU. You can't grow up if you're not prepared to try.

Growing up and becoming a fully functional adult isn't exactly easy. It's about noticing all the little things you take for granted, about being able to fend for yourself rather than relying on someone else doing it for you. And most of the time you don't even realise how much you rely on other people. Whether it's booking a doctor's appointment, saving money, or knowing what to do in a medical emergency, these are all things we NEED to know how to do.

Thankfully we are now in an age were our family isn't the only source of information on how to grow up. There is a plethora of information online to give advice and guidance, but as the all knowing "They" say, "experience is the best teacher". The great thing is that no one says you can't have it both ways. You can use experience to put your skills to the test, but you can get advice and help first to make the process easier.

When I look back over the last few years, I can see how I've allowed myself to grow as an artist. It's about embracing change, not becoming stagnant in a comfort zone and being willing to push yourself. Now I see that everyday life is not all that different. If I am tired of something in my life, I have the power to change it. And so does every other person out there, Now that I've learnt the art of growing as an artist, it's time to adapt that skill to life. It will be difficult. But it will be worth it.

Until we meet again
Talia

Cutting Back the Clutter

And so dear readers, we are hurtling towards the end of the year at a rapid, ever-increasing pace! The last quarter of the year is upon as and for once I've actually achieved some of my New Year's resolutions! So today, seeing as I have no new work to share at the moment, I thought I would talk about something that has been inspiring me for the last few weeks...

I'm talking about minimalism!

Now I am in no way calling myself a minimalist because that would be an insult to minimalists everywhere! But I will say that I am really inspired by the minimalist movement. What is minimalism you ask? Well minimalism is essentially, living with less stuff.

GASP!

"How could I ever survive without my collection of *insert precious item here*?!". See that's the beauty of minimalism. It isn't about living with just one crappy shirt or whatever item you thought of first, minimalism is about having less stuff... but better stuff. So imagine, instead of having 20 shirts where you only really love 5 and wear them often and the other 15 don't fit properly, you only have those 5 that you love and make you feel good about yourself! Now take that principle and apply it to... well everything you own!

I think most of us can admit to being the victims of consumerism and having way too much stuff that we really don't need. I know one of the biggest (or smallest) tips from the minimalists is to move from paper to digital. I'll admit this is one area of minimalism I can't handle. I need to take hand written notes and have something to write on or everything will disappear from my brain! But you can choose to recycle paper you don't need and toss stuff that really doesn't make a difference to you, like those pesky flyers that get put under the windshield wiper of your car.

I think the challenge for me with minimalism is that, as an art student and hopefully a budding artist, I can't live with the bare minimum of art supplies... because everything gets more expensive the longer you don't buy the supplies you need. There are a couple of things I can't really minimise in my life... But I can make sure that I don't overboard with it. I've found that having less stuff really does make your life so much easier.

So to conclude my thoughts on minimalism so far, here are a few tips I can give you to use a little minimalist magic in your life without getting rid of a lot of stuff immediately:

1. Delete apps that you downloaded on your tablet/phone/PC that turned out to be a waste of time. Not only will you have less clutter on your phone, but you'll probably free up some space for that next Instagram photo or two!
2. Throw away trash as soon as you make it. So if you eat a packet of crisps, throw away the packet as soon as you're done with it. Don't let it accumulate into a makeshift bin. 
3. Don't just buy stuff because it's on sale. Figure out if you're just buying it because it's "such a BARGAIN!" or if you actually need it
4. Give old clothes you don't even like anymore to charity. Someone will put it to good use, and not only are you helping someone in need, but you're minimising your clutter too!
5. Keep your bed as a bed and not half a shelf. I have a bad habit of doing this with clothes, but keeping your bed clutter free looks so much better than having to look at that pile of stuff every time you go to bed or wake up.

And so dear readers, that's my bit on minimalism for now. Stay clutter free and focused this week.

Until we meet again

Talia

Pondering Some Silver Linings

"Research Break". 

So my dear readers, these last few months have probably been the WORST track record so far of keeping my blog up to date and I apologise to everyone who makes the effort of reading my blog post each time I post.

So this week, from the 5th of September to the 13th of September, varsity gives us what is known as the research break, which is essentially the midterm break that divides a semester into two pieces. Logically, a research break could be considered as a... well... a Break from research! But guess what (this goes out to all you high schoolers who can't wait to start varsity, and even more so if you want to study ART), the research break has been designed to...

Make you take a break from class to research more stuff.

For example, this first half of the semester has been absolutely exhausting. There have been deadlines almost every single week that involve lots of hours to produce a work that actually ends up being mediocre as opposed to great. But we push on and get it done, because what else are we supposed to do? Seems like more research crammed into one week is a good idea...

But I'm an optimist at heart and I always like to believe that there is a good side to this situation. SO let me share with you my silver linings of things I've learnt how to do (that are of course art and varsity related) this block:

1. How to use the Adobe Premier Suite (and edit in a professional way)
2. How to make a 'zine (mini book or publication)
3. How to make organized study notes without wasting time on the organizing bits
4. How to make and use silkscreens....

And most excitingly...

    5. How to make a stop motion animation (which you can check out here)

I'm afraid to say I'm still busy as ever, but at least I can spend some quality time with the people I care about this week as well as getting stuff done. And at last I have time to share with the people who I will create memories with that I will cherish. Remember that success is nothing if you have no one left there to share it with.

Until we meet again
Talia

Fight Not Flight

FEAR. The stomach-sinking, heart-pounding, hand-shaking feeling that strikes everyone at least once in their lifetime. Fear doesn't necessarily have to be a phobia, and it doesn't always have to be something you can predict in advance. Sometimes fear strikes you on the spot in the heat of the moment.

Other than phobias and common little fears that most people experience every now and again. Today was the first time I had experienced the real fear of losing someone incredibly close to me. I've never experienced emotions like what I've experienced today. If you've watched Inside Out, you would know that the personified emotions of fear and sadness were separated. Today I felt like I had an insane mixture of the two that happened to be on some crazy steroids.

I won't share the whole story of how these emotions came about. But when I thought that I had lost that person forever, and not even by my own choice, I panicked. I had never felt emotions like this before, I had no idea how to react or how to get myself back together. I felt like a massive explosion of bottled up emotions had imploded through my veins. I felt like my blood had actually run cold, somehow icily still pumping through my heart into the rest of my body. I was defeated. More defeated than I can ever remember before. I pray that none of you have to go through that feeling, because it truly is a wretched experience to endure.

But.

All was not lost.

In some far corner of my petrified heart, a spark of adrenaline made my brain override the emotions and fight. If you've ever met me, you would know that I'm not a fighter. But dammit I fought today. I was not enduring this pain that was inflicted upon me. I fought and choked back those stifling tears. And I didn't become a victim of the battle. By some miracle I got the person I care about so dearly back. I don't know how this day turned around like it did. I still feel like I was in the battle of the century. But I survived. And more importantly than surviving, I managed to get my incredibly special person back.

I'll be damned if I get that close to losing you again.

Dear readers, don't EVER let it get this close. Don't neglect someone to the point that you can't get them back. Never take the people around you for granted, because I promise you you don't want to know what the world would be like without them. Love them like both of you could be gone tomorrow and there's no chance to show them you love them again.

Until we meet again
Talia  

A 25 Hour Day

And so dear readers, yet another week has passed and we are now in mid-August already! Unfortunately I don't have any new work to post because varsity has been so busy lately! But that's okay, even when not much physical art is being made, there is still a lot that I am learning every day. I wish that sleep was not such a physical necessity, because just imagine the possibilities available with all those extra hours...

The truth is... You don't need to give up sleep to get those extra hours. My mom always tells me off with one of her favourite sayings: "Work smart, Not hard". While I think she makes an excellent point, I think that a perfect balance of the two is the way to get all your stuff done in a time-saving and performance-improving way. For me, sometimes I intentionally make my life more difficult by working hard and not smart. I tend to do these with the little things... Like being a little too thorough in my jewellery organization or socks drawer... Or especially with colour coding. Yes I'm that OCD person who can match colours like a pro... But when it comes to getting everything done in the most effective and least stressful way possible... I tend to fall short.

I find that a lot of time is wasted in what I like to call "The In-Between Vacuums"... These are the times in between all your scheduled or routine stuff, like the time in-between classes, wasted on Instagram whilst waiting for someone and especially travel time.

Obviously there's not much you can do whilst travelling, but you can find ways to minimise your travel time and stress levels from the urban decay of rush hour traffic. For me, it means waking up 15 minutes earlier than I would like to and taking a slightly longer route... that saves me 30-45 minutes travel time. It's definitely worth it!

Another time vacuum that really wastes a lot of time is spending that half an hour between lectures chatting when you can multitask. What I like to do is head straight to the next venue after my class, sit in the next classroom, work a little bit or revise the previous class's notes, eat something and be on time.

I find that a huge time vacuum is shoddy organizing (or a lack of organizing entirely!). I know that I get EXTREMELY frustrated when I can't find my notes for a subject or a reading because I forgot to file it. That's why I avoid the risk altogether. I keep a handy-dandy pocket punch in my bag, date any pieces of paper I receive that day and file it immediately. It is really annoying trying to stay on top of things when you can't find your assignment brief or the notes you've made that could really REALLY help you in your essay. I think keeping your life organised is probably one of the best time savers out there. You don't even need a calendar or a diary, there are so many apps out there that there really isn't an excuse to not know what's going on.

Being organised isn't a bad thing, if it saves YOU time and stress, then why not make the change?  Ditch those time vacuums and you will have enough "extra" time to get all those pesky things on your Perpetual To Do list done!

Until we meet again
Talia

Don't Tip Those Scales

So it's currently 12;11am, and it's Sunday. I am sitting in bed... contemplating life as I type away on my tablet. It's been a busy long weekend so far, and technically it hasn't even gotten to the "long" part yet... And tomorrow is going to be even busier, but that's a good thing I think.

The thing about being busy is that you have to learn to plan your time really well so that you get around to doing everything... without spreading yourself too thin and ending up doing everything to a poor standard. This is a very tricky balance to maintain, especially when the nature of the work done is so time-consuming. I've mentioned her before in my blog, but my friend and fellow blogger Dominique Gaydon, has a very productive plan that "the sooner it's done, the sooner it's done". I like that philosophy I feel like it can relate to a lot more than just class or lectures.

If you're a sort of regular reader of this blog you would know that I don't tend to enjoy it when very little new work is being made by me because of university. I feel like this year of Fine Art at university has involved lots of time consuming effort to create very little of a tangible outcome. So on top of all the University work (and homework and assignments etc.), I've been trying to balance a healthy social life with getting good marks, good health and good relationships and vibes overall... But I've realised something...

BALANCING THINGS IS REALLY HARD... It is really easy to say you're going to do something to sort out some aspect of your life, but acting on it and sticking to it are what actually matter. So I thought I would share some of the little nuggets of wisdom I've figured out:

1. Figure out what you want in life. There's no point making a plan to sort out stuff if you don't even want it. If it's important to you, make a plan to get it done.
2. Keep short-term goals. These can be up to a day or even a a few months, try and compartmentalise your time so that you can set up realistic goals.
3. As always... Write it down. I am telling you that you will forget SOMETHING unless you keep everything noted. And it's really satisfying ticking something off that list!
4. Make time for you...Don't forget to look after yourself, you can't accomplish anything if you're not able to try
5. Have a plan B... And C if you have a penchant for accidents, like me.

And with those midnight thoughts dear readers, I shall say goodnight

Until we meet again
Talia

P.S Check out this little blog's pearls of wisdom if you get the chance:  http://amagicalmusiciansthoughts.blogspot.com/

Colour-Coding My Way to Productivity

So dear readers, I know it has been two weeks without a post. I do apologise profusely, I blame faulty printer cables and fried laptops. But anyhow, we are now in August everyone! so that means there is officially only one third of the year left... and I still feel like I've accomplished so little art wise!

So I've been having a series of epiphanies over the last few months. They haven't been directly related to my art or my work at varsity but rather to my personal life, but they've helped me figure out some neat little tricks and tips to help me out (and looking up life hacks on Pinterest isn't a bad idea either!). So dear readers today I thought I would share my little tips and tricks to make your planning life a little easier, so you can fit in all the things that are important to you.

I personally have an awful memory, and unless I write down what I'm supposed to do... well most of the time it won't get done or it will be a half-hearted job... So I have a diary and lots of coloured pens and matching Post-Its. My personal code is this:
Turquoise = Fine Art/Video Art
Lime Green = History of Art
Orange = Design & Drawing/Book-Binding
Yellow = French
Oxblood = Relationship and Personal Life

This is how I colour code my diary, which is super tiny. I also update my calendar as well as my MyStudyLife App to remind me about tasks that need to be done. I also try to distribute my work out a bit better so that I can spend more time spread out over a few days and really get into the work rather than rushing it and messing it up completely.

Another useful thing I've found is prioritising my To-Do list before I start completing anything, because I find I tend to do all the little easy things first when I have the most energy and then I wonder why I have no energy left for all the important things on the list... which can be problematic at best. So I draw a square next to each To-Do Item:

Big Square = Most Important (as in get off your lazy butt and get this done!)
Medium Square = So So, would be useful to get done today
Little Square = Annoying but useful task, not a train smash if it doesn't get done today

So this is just a small part of my organising tips that should help you to get everything done in time and get it done well. I hope maybe it helps you just a tiny bit!

Until we meet again 
Talia

And So It Begins... Again

Day 1. Semester 2, 2015

Current Inventory:

• 2 packs of 3-ply tissues
• 1 throat spray
• 1 water bottle
• miscelanious books and textbooks
• lots of stationery

So dear readers, seems I have gotten sick again and just in time for varsity. Which is quite unfortunate seeing as second year parking is so far away from the School of Arts. But that's okay, I will survive this week one way or another, hopefully whilst recovering in the process.

Anyway, back to varsity vexes. I've survived semester one with fairly decent marks and have made it through to the next half. It's quite exhausting being back, and not just because of the runny nose. I guess just the state of mind you have to be in to do well at varsity is quite exhausting, as well as the amount of concentration and focus you need to have to get through one lecture.

So today I decided to write a handy dandy list of varsity hacks that will maybe make your life a little easier!

HOW TO BE A GOOD UNIVERSITY STUDENT 101

1. Go to all of your classes if you can. Last semester I went to every single Art History lecture and the lectures helped me more in the exam than all of the reading packs could have. It might be a pain, but you're paying tuition fees to make a career,
2. Take Notes! Whether you like to type them out or write them in a notebook (like me), taking down  notes will benefit you so much when it comes down to exams and assignments.
3. Now on that note (sorry I cannot resist a cheesy pun), keep your class notes organized! It doesn't really help you if you take all the handouts and making notes without being able to make head or tale of it afterwards. Thanks to Pinterest, I've found a few little note-taking hacks that really worked for me! One of the most useful things I've learnt is making an index on the first page of your notebook or document. Number your pages and add them to the index after each lecture. It helps so much knowing what page to find certain topics on!
4. Colour Coding: Ok I know this one isn't for everyone, but I've found that colour coding my subjects and study notes makes them far more appealing to look at. Not only that, it also makes it a lot easier to organize all your information.
5. Pack your stuff the night before. Check your timetable and make sure you pack all your material the night before to avoid the early morning rush! Getting to university is stressful enough without realising you forgot your assignment on your desk this morning. 
6. Keep a diary (Or at least a calendar app), take down deadlines and mark them as soon as you know them so you don't end up forgetting to submit assignments.
7. Always check your student email. Seriously.
8. Arial. Size 12. 1,5 spacing.
9. Good grammar will get you far, always use spellcheck and proofread before submitting anything!
10. Procrastination has led to the failure of many a promising student. As a good friend of mine once said "The sooner it's done the sooner it's done"

 Until we meet again

Talia

From Start to Finish: The Garden

So dear readers, I just finished another drawing last night and thought that I would share the process behind it, seeing as I haven't done that for a while. Just for the sake of being thorough, I use Unipin pens, and all of the sizes available. I hope you enjoy these behind the scenes images of my drawing!

As always, any work of mine needs to have a solid drawing to start off with. I use a 2B pencil to sketch in the outlines and compose the image. (Why 2B? Because 2B or not 2B, that is the real question)

I started out by filling in the darker part of the sky. To get the tones here I use the 0.05mm, 0.1mm and 0.2mm pens.

Here I started filling in the darker areas of the hills so I could gauge how I should go about toning the sky. I started using a 0.3mm pen to fill in the darker areas. 

Now that I had a set of dark values to compare to I started filling in the rest of the hills and grass.

Now that the lower part of the landscape is complete, I can figure out how much toning the sky and clouds need.

Here I start blocking in the sky, using mostly the 0.05 and 0.1mm pens

Here the sky is completely filled in, you can see I left a few areas plain to contrast the busyness of everything else.

After adding in the foliage and a few final touches, we have a completed drawing!

Until we meet again

Talia

May The Force Be With You

Strength. It's a funny word. It can mean so many different things, it can be interpreted in so many different ways. To some it can mean brute strength, as in being able to punch and kick and shift the world around you. To others it can mean not falling apart when things go wrong. It can mean defying reality during a crisis or being able to hold your ground. To me strength has a pretty simple, but also quite a flexible meaning:

STRENGTH (unclassifiable into a single category)

 A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH, BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY

 During my life I've felt weak, and I've felt strong. What I've noticed is that strength manifests itself in different ways each time, and it very seldom shows itself in the same way twice. Strength for me is something internal, something that kicks in when most needed and marks a point of change in my life. I never feel the same once that inner force has shown itself.

I'm currently at an in-between phase in my life, quite far away from the last point I found my inner strength but haven't reached the next point just yet. I feel like a point is approaching where I need to be stronger than I have ever been before, for not only me but also for my future. For now all I can do is train myself and prepare myself... and perhaps just wait.

Until I reach that point again, there are of course a million things to get done.

Until we meet again
Talia

Behind Every Great Artist

Hmm, today feels like a good day to do a blog post. So I have returned after a few days of indulging in buying art supplies, which I have not done in ages... Mostly because I've had all the supplies I've needed for a while. If you're somewhat of a stationery nerd, or an artist, you would have experienced the overwhelming excitement of seeing all the shelves filled with useful stuff...

And then you would have experienced the heart-sinking experience of seeing the price tag that art supplies and stationery command. It is the conundrum every artist and creative type experiences at some point, you need good supplies to make good art to make a living, but you need to make a very good living to get those supplies in the first place. I know I am fortunate enough to be able to get good art supplies as a student, I just haven't really taken advantage of that opportunity until now.

But the great thing about art supplies is that most of the time you can find them for a bargain if you're patient enough to look. In South Africa, there aren't that many art stores around, but the ones that I do frequent quite regularly have their Set Sales every year, in July and August. So instead of splurging during the year, I just wait for the sales. It's not like the art supplies change each season and your size is gone by the time the sale starts!

So whilst I was looking around and practically drooling over all the beautiful art supplies, I had a sad realization. I wouldn't even bat an eyelash spending the amount I did on my art supplies that day  if it were on clothes or superficial luxuries, but I did do a doubletake with the art supplies. That made me feel so pathetic, which is more important? THE ART STUFF!

So now I have resolved to making sure I invest in material that will help my art career rather then spending my money superficially on things I actually don't need. And I started my investment by starting my own small (but growing) set of Copic Markers. And after playing around with them for a little bit, I can say the investment was definitely worth it, and until the end of August, hopefully more art supplies will be finding a home among my desk drawers.

Until we meet again
Talia

P.S. If you haven't noticed the new feature, check out my new art page on the blog : Art & Other Creative Items

Creativity Withdrawal

At long last! First Semester is finally over! I completed my last exam on Friday and have reached the sweet winter holidays.

Without a doubt, it has been a stressful work and emotion frenzied semester, now for a brief reprieve before the intensive work begins again. I have to admit, I think after all the new skills learnt and applied this year in class, I think going back to some art basics will be really good for me. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, I mean some good old drawing... And maybe painting too if I'm feeling adventurous.

In other words dear readers, I have been suffering from creativity withdrawal and monochromitis (a fictional disease of the mind created when only black and white is used for an extended period of time) whilst I have been doing an art degree. So seeing as I have an overly active imagination at the moment...

HOW TO TREAT (AND CURE) CREATIVITY WITHDRAWAL

1. Doodle! I know it seems like an odd suggestion, but just scribbling away something without thinking is a good way to get yourself into more creative mindset.
2. Get a new art supply (or two... or a lot). Even if you just try out a new pencil or try painting with coffee, try something different to get you excited about making stuff again.
3. Try something different! If you have always been a person to work with pencils, try working with paint to get you out of your comfort zone.
4. Clean up your space! This one may only apply to a couple of people but I think that a clean space is like a clean canvas, just waiting to be used!
5. Look at your old work. I was feel reinvigorated to work when I see my old drawings and paintings, it feels like there's so much potential in the next piece.
6. Help someone else do something creative! It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, it can just be something simple like helping them make something new.
7. ACTUALLY  MAKE SOMETHING!!

So dear readers, I am off to cure my creativity withdrawl. If you haven't noticed it yet, I've added a neg page to this blog dubbed "Art & Other Creative Items", this is where I shall keep all my images of my artwork updated , I would really appreciate it if you took a look every now and again.

Until we meet again

Talia

Tomorrowland

My friends in my art classes introduced me to the concept of an "Existential Crisis". I had never heard of such a thing until I got to university, nor had I experienced much of it in my life. In a nutshell, this is how Urban Dictionaries defines an existential crisis:

Existential Crisis

A deep, obsessive concern with unanswered questions about the meaning of life and existence, resulting in the disruption of one's daily life and characterised by long or short-lasting bouts of apathy and depression.

"Dude, what's up with Steve?" 
"He's been reading a lot of Nietzsche and watching How the Universe Works on the Discovery Channel, now he's having an existential crisis."

Well, that sums it up quite well. For me I have existential crisis' based on time... or more specifically, the lack of it. I remember reading a quote once that went something along the lines of "In every moment we are living we are also dying"... Yes it can sound quite depressing, but honestly, shouldn't it also be good motivation to try and make every day a good day? Most people on the planet nowadays are born and bred procrastinators. We live in a world where tomorrow is always a given to us... But there are only so many tomorrows left, if any exist in the first place. 

I know it seems like an odd thing to think about, but books remind me of time passing. Every time I walk into a library or a book store, I think to myself how many books I would love to read... And in the same train of thought I realise that there will never be enough time to read all of them... I could spend my entire lifetime reading and I would never be able to get through enough books. The funny thing about life is that almost everything is like that. Art. Books. Films. Love. People. 

But not all is lost.

All you have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to you.

You can spend your whole life sulking about all the things you can't do, or you can just jump straight into the deep end and start doing things. The choice is yours.

Until we meet again dear readers

Talia

P.S I finished watching all of the Lord of the Rings movies this week, so unreferenced quotes are here duly given credit to! 

LIGHTS, CAMERA... (INAPPROPRIATE GIGGLES)...ACTION!

Don't you just love it when you get a chance to watch a movie you've been wanting to see for ages? You get good seats, great snacks and most importantly great company... but then...

THE IDIOTS* IN THE SEATS NEXT TO YOU DON'T SHUT UP. FOR. THE. ENTIRE. FILM...

THE AIR-CONDITIONING HAS BEEN SWITCHED OFF EVEN THOUGH THE CINEMA IS FULL...

AND PEOPLE LAUGH AT THE MOST. INAPPROPRIATE. MOMENTS.

Okay, I'm done ranting now, and if you're wondering, today's post shall be on something completely unrelated to art, but related to the shocking lack of manners in society nowadays...

MOVIE ETIQUETTE 101

1. The most obvious because we're so frequently reminded: "Please put your [damn] cellphone on silent"... Nothing on Instagram can be that important whilst watching a movie.

2.  If you have an attention span of 5 minutes, please do everyone in the cinema a favour and  don't bother going. Cinemas don't have pause buttons. Go home.

3. You shall not put your feet on the seat in front of you if there is someone sitting in it! You shall not kick the seat either...

4. There is  nothing wrong with talking in the movies... If you're whispering. Really people, it's not that hard to whisper, just talk softly.

5. And finally, don't spoil the movie by reacting like an idiot*. Laugh when it's appropriate, not during the heart wrenching scene of someone dying.

That's my share of movie etiquette... for now. Enjoy your movies and popcorn.

Until we meet again

Talia

*sorry, that was harsh. Shall we call them severely mentally incapacitated individuals?

A Print For Your Thoughts?

Dear Readers, I apologise for my sudden AWOL, I have had exams and crazy deadlines for the last few weeks and as a result I haven't had much time to dedicate to a set blog post. But I have returned now... And I actually have some new work to share!

So, at the University of Witwatersrand (In Johannesburg, South Africa, for those of you abroad), I am currently doing a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts as a second year student. For the practical elements of the course (where you should hypothetically make stuff), we have two "classes". The first one is FINE ARTS and the second one is DESIGN AND DRAWING.  So for the second half of this semester, we did Printmaking and Sculpture,,, Let's just say it was a messy and time consuming... And exhausting...

But now at the end of it I have new skills and new work to share... So enjoy dear readers!

PRINTMAKING

INTAGLIO ETCHING

So this was the first technique we learnt: Drypoint etching
In a nutshell, you use a sharp metal instrument, like a nail, to scratch lines into a metal sheet like copper or zinc, you then put ink on the plate so it goes into all the lines you've carved into the metal, and you wipe off the rest of the ink. You print the plate and voila! 

Hardground Etching
So this is a technique I preferred to drypoint. So basically, you put a layer of this stuff called Hardground onto your metal plate. It is acid-resistant and water-proof. Using a sharp metal implement, you draw your image into the plate. The areas where you scratch the hardground reveal the metal underneath. Once you're done drawing, you submerge the plate into a bath of acid, which etches (or digs) into the metal plate. You take off the hardground layer, clean your plate and ink up.

Aquatint 
This was by far my favourite technique and is quite like painting in its final effect. You put a light layer of aquatint, which is made up of either rosin particles (or spray-paint for us art students) onto your metal plate. This layer resists the acid for an amount of time and allows you to work in layers. Using what is called stop-out, you cover up areas of tone on your plate, one tone at a time. For example, all the areas you want to stay white will be covered first. Then you etch the plate. Then you put another layer of stop-out, then you etch again... building up the tones with each layer. 

Combination Print: Aquatint and hardground
By far the most successful print, this was completed mostly in aquatint with some refined detail added in hardground.

So dear readers, those were the outcomes of my printmaking course. I will share my sculpture work soon, I just need to sort out all of the imagery.

Until we meet again

Talia

A Little Guide to Art School

How Not To Make Art 101

During the last few weeks of varsity, I've learnt a lot about how not to make art, and how not to be an artist. It's surprisingly easy to fall into this trap in Art School, so I thought I'd share a little bit of naive wisdom that I've figured out.

Apparently no lecturer can tell you "how to make art", but there are a lot of unwritten laws about things you shouldn't do when you're making art: Here is the technically-unwritten-but-typed list of things you shouldn't do.... Unless you're an avant-garde artist who's already made a name for themselves. 

1. Compose your image or work centrally. Seriously, apparently its "too perfect".
2. Use anything cliched... so butterflies, wolves, arrows, the globe, watches, hourglasses, dogs, cats, dream catchers, skeletons, naked people.... the list goes on
3. Leave a lot of empty spaces... Unless you are really good at understanding negative spaces.
4. Paint from photographs... draw from photographs... referencing photographs unless you're doing photography
5. Only use grey tones or mid tones. This one I do agree with, having a deep dark tone and an almost white tone is a good way to create depth and contrast in an image. 
6. Forget about preparatory work... This one varies from artist to artist, because people see planning in different ways. For me, writing and thumbnail sketches in ink are a perfect means of organising an image, for other people full scale perfect sketches work for them. It all depends on what works for you.
7. Comparing your work to other artists work, This is a sure fire way to stop feeling inspired and to give up art entirely. Rather all yourself to be inspired and learn from others instead of putting yourself down.
8. Leave all your prep work and current work in a mess. Trust me after two weeks of working in a messy pile of papers, trying to find one prep drawing is a bit of a nightmare.
9. Take criticism badly. Yes some people are honestly just rude and unhelpful, but most of the time criticism, both positive and negative can be really useful and help you to see your work in a slightly more neutral way.
10. Give up. No matter what happens, never ever give up on what you love to make. That's a good way to never become an artist

So dear readers, a little advice for those of you studying art or know someone who is.... Make what you love doing and you should be okay. 

Until we meet again

Talia

And So The June Countdown Begins...

Happy Mother's Day dear readers! If you forgot it was Mother's day then shame on you! Yes, I know it's only been 35 minutes (in South African time) but that's no excuse. Today is the day you take a moment to appreciate all the things your mother does for you everyday, not to mention the nine months she had to haul you around before that.

Now... I know it's late and yes I should probably be in bed by now... But unfortunately my workload seemed to magically pile itself up in one week to have all the time consuming elements take place in uncomfortably close proximity to one another. There always seems to be a million things to do when you seem to get one huge deadline out of the way... The list is constantly growing and changing... Kind of like life I guess. If things stopped changing and we didn't have to adapt, I think we would all get bored eventually.

But the frustrating thing about the workload now... especially for sculpture and printmaking, is that it takes so long to produce a single piece of work. After so many weeks of being back, I only have two final etching prints, a sculpture drying in the sculpture studio and a complete set of photos that still need to be made into a book. That's not much considering how much work and time has gone into everything...

I'm just itching to draw or paint something that I can look at when I'm done... But the saddest thing is that time won't allow me to do that until June... and that's still another month away before I can breathe normally again. But the show must go on, and no mental breakdowns can be allowed near the etching equipment. For now I don't have many pictures of work to share, but I promise I will post them all as soon as I can.

Happy Mothers Day dear readers!

Until we meet again
Talia

That Confusing Question

"Is being consistently inconsistent the same as being inconsistently consistent?" Chances are your brain just froze a little bit trying to decipher that question. Mine does the same thing even though I've thought about this question more than once. Whilst you're probably picking your brain trying to figure it out... I thought I'd pick my brain a bit on consistency and persistence.

Throughout my life, the one thing I've always been consistently good at is throwing myself into my art and putting in so much effort that what was required. I was so consistent at it that I made it a habit for myself. And last year when I was going through an especially rough phase in my life, my work and my art became my reason for existence for several months. Metaphorically my art became my significant other.

This is a good strategy when you're going through a rough time and feeling quite alone in the world. But for me, I suffered for a while and then the suffering stopped. I picked myself up and started living life again. I found someone I could actually talk to and touch and be held when I was feeling upset. Someone who makes me feel special, and someone who I can care about. I remember for a while when I was single I would actually miss caring for someone, but then I would distract myself by drawing and painting.

Now I have realised a flaw in my past strategy for beating loneliness through art. When you apply consistency to only one area of your life, and you apply a lot of it, chances are the consistency everywhere else in your life diminishes. There's the flaw you don't really see until other people point it out to you, and I realise that I have been a guilty party for quite a while. I guess you could say I'm both consistently inconsistent and inconsistently consistent in many other aspects of my life.

As various self-help books will probably tell you, admitting you have a problem is the first step to fixing it. Now my goal is to be consistently consistent in every other area of my life. I think posting once a week every week on this blog is a good motivation to be consistent.

Until we meet again dear readers
Talia
P.S. Being consistently inconsistent isn't the same as inconstantly consistent, just in case you were wondering. It took me an hour to figure it out, but I have an answer now at least!

The Work In Progress You Don't Always See

So Dear Readers, the end of April is almost upon us... and that means that one third of this year is already over. It still feels like the year is off to an extremely slow start, but I think that the reason is because we haven't been doing much work where the process can be seen.

At the moment, we're working on various forms of etching and sculpture  in clay... which is messy work almost all the time... but the process that goes into both is really difficult to see. You can't really show all the work that went into drawing into the copper or all the clay you've put on and taken off. All you really see is the final outcome of a slow process, Which isn't a bad thing, it just feels like a lot less work to show at the end.

I feel like not being able to see the process also relates to a lot of things in life, you can't see all the effort it takes to build a relationship with someone, all you can actually see is the current work in progress. You can't see how much time it takes for someone to become the person that they currently are.

If you're lucky, in art, you may get to watch someone work and see how a work transforms from a blank page or an empty space into something more tangible. Life is very much the same, you only get to see the slow transformation when someone lets you get incredibly close to them. That comfort and trust is a privilege, not a right. It is earned by trust and care, But the thing to remember about works in progress is that they have ups and downs, and the negatives are just as important as the positives to see how things turn out. I guess that you have to remember that the bad parts about progress are sometimes more meaningful than the good, because they teach you so much more than reinforcing what you think you already know.

So dear readers, if someone you know or something you may be creating has hit a bit of a rough patch, that's okay. Just remember that sometimes you have to have a patch of darkness to understand the light.

Until we meet again
Talia

Who Needs That Many Fireworks Anyway?

Do you ever feel like there's so many things to do, so many things you want to experience, that your mind actually tells you it's impossible to achieve them all? I do that a lot... I can focus on the present for a certain amount of time, then my brain decides it wants to think about things that would be fun to do... Only this time it was different.

I started thinking about all the things I'd been wanting to do, achieve, accomplish... Whatever you'd like to call it. There's a million thoughts buzzing through my head, crashing and bursting... I guess you could say like fireworks on a perfectly clear night... You know the stars that stay constant and shine in the distance, but the fireworks are so loud and bright that they distract you from the things that stay constantly beautiful... Even if they're light years away. I would say that all the fireworks are thoughts about today, tomorrow, next week even. My mind is so drawn to those that I've forgotten the stars in my mind, visible only on a clear night, the thoughts that are about things relatively far away.

The all knowing They say that right at this moment, time is a gift, and that's why it's called The Present... But the little clause they tend to leave out is that the present only means something when there's a future ahead... A goal you could say. I think I've been good with the present, but all those fireworks have made me forget that the present is always leading to the future. Once the bright colours and noises have faded away, the stars are what remain there no matter what.

Mental stars are different for everyone, some people focus on one constellation, others a single star... Some chase after a shooting star (only to figure out it was a plane). Some spend their whole lives searching for the star no one else has found. For me, I can say I've focused on one constellation my whole life... the one that kind of looks like an artist. But I had a moment of clarity... and there's a sky full of other stars out there... Ones that make you realise there is so much more to life than a single constellation. I guess you can say that from now on, there will always be a set of stars that shine brighter for me than all the others, the ones that will shine clearer even through the fireworks on a mental New Year's Eve.

Oh and dear readers, I know I talk about the sky a lot. It helps to think about the universe out there, that there is so much more to life than the little things that bug us every day. The one thing I love about load shedding (scheduled power outages due to strain on the grid, for those overseas), is that when the lights go out, if you stand outside, you can see the stars clearer than on any night in Johannesburg. I guess now I don't need the lights to go out or even for it to be night time to see my own stars.

When in doubt, find your own stars dear readers.

Until we meet again

Talia

To Speak or Not To Speak, That Is The Question

Art History Class
10h15
Its cold outside, and its cold inside too. The cold helps me stay awake... mostly. We're talking about the art of the Mende People, and more specifically the Sowo Wei mask they use as part of a ritual that celebrates a girl becoming a woman.

To sum it up, the mask represents the features and characteristics of a woman that the women in this society see as ideal. One of those qualities that intrigued me was the idea of reserved speech. And considerate conversation. How interesting that one of the ideal qualities so long ago was consideration of what you say before you say it. It got me thinking about how this ideal should still be part of our lives now, even though its almost 200 years later.

If you think about it, in this day and age, freedom of expression has been taken to an almost extreme level of "I'll say whatever I want because I have the right to say it anyway". You can see it in the way people speak, in the way they act, but most clearly through social media. What happened to thinking before you speak? What happened to actually considering other people in conversation? I read a saying once that just about perfectly sums it up:

"The ability to speak many languages is an asset, but the ability to keep your mouth shut in any language is priceless" 

I think it's easy to talk a lot... babble and go off on a tangent. But I think being considerate when you speak is a skill to be taught alongside being able to speak. Because sometimes, things are better left unsaid, sometimes you need to be able to listen instead of speak and sometimes... just once in a while, silence isn't a bad thing. 

So dear readers, think twice before saying something to someone because you can, silence can be golden once in a while.

Until we meet again

Talia

A Page a Day

So dear readers, 1/4 of 2015 is already over! And it went by so quickly... Seems like each year I add to my tally seems to speed up. I know some people who like to use the analogy of a year being a book in the story of your life, with each day representing a page. But I have to admit, art wise, my book seems to have a lot of blank spaces...

This is quite disappointing for me, I thought that once I'd be back at varsity all the deadlines would make me a lean mean creative machine... but it's like a machine that hasn't yet warmed up properly. 1/4 of the year is already over, the creative machines in my class can't STILL be warming up. I think the worst part is that it feels like its not just my art class, it feels like everyone I know is struggling to stay productive... Or worse still get productive in the first place.

I can actually tally how much art I've made since the beginning of this year:

• 7 and a 1/2 typographic drawings (The 1/2 is for the one I still haven't finished)
• 1 actual drawing for varsity of a mielie (or corn for those of you overseas)
• 3 different photographic series
• 2 admittedly cool light box art pieces
• 1 journal of daily writing

And the 7 and a 1/2 drawings may sound like a lot, but I did all of those BEFORE the semester started. But I think I should also just try drawing little things anyway, regardless of whether they are for varsity or not. Especially the typography. I think this might be a sign that the work I do for myself is more important than just waiting for it to happen at varsity. I also have a couple of drawings I want to do for some special people in my life, drawings that I've had in my mind that have yet to materialise onto paper.

So hopefully with the start of the new term I'll have lots more new work to share with you soon dear readers.

Until we meet again

Talia

The Secrecy Of Seclusion

So dear readers, I have survived the first quarter of Second Year relatively unscathed! Before I post an actual post, I thought I would share the final (work-in-progress) documentary I produced for my Digital Photography Course:

This was my explanation of the project to go along with the photographs:

The Secrecy of Seclusion

secret [skrət] adjective 1. not widely known: known by only a few people and intentionally withheld from general knowledge 2. undercover: working or operating without the knowledge of the general public 3. unadmitted: acting or feeling in a particular way without admitting to it   a secret admirer

When was the last time you kept your own secret? Sometimes secrets don’t have to be things you’ve done or decisions you’ve made. A secret can be a memory. A secret can be a person. But for me, a secret can even be a place.

Albert’s Farm is the second largest park in Johannesburg, yet even the residents who live around out seem to keep it a secret from the rest of the city, maybe even themselves. That is why the park has an air of privacy, of seclusion, of hidden secrets waiting to be found.

But secrets are easier to uncover when you look for traces of them, and the best way to do that is when the park is almost completely empty. Seclusion and Secrecy seem to go hand in hand.

I shall return soon again dear readers, with a proper post and lots of words.

Until we meet again

Talia

Wanted

Is it a crime to want more than you already have? Is it wrong to want more, constantly?

The truth is, dear readers, I have no idea what the correct answer to that is... but I think that if your heart is in the right place, and maybe your mind too, wanting more can't be such a bad thing. I'm one of those people that has learnt to accept what is given, more by habit than by any particular rule or bad experience. I guess it's just something that has become a part of me over time. And I haven't really questioned that aspect of myself... until recently.

I've realised over the last few weeks that wanting more isn't a bad thing at all... It all depends on what that "more" means. If you're a billionaire and you want even more money, that's probably a bad thing. If you hypothetically control the entire world and then you want to control the Martians (if they exist)... then might be a problem.

But what if your heart wants more? There is already enough hatred in this cruel world of ours, so much pain and suffering that we've actually become numb to because we've learnt to not see it. I can't believe that there was ever a doubt in my mind that wanting care and love someone more could ever be a bad thing... I guess I just needed a hypothetical slap in the face to be reminded that caring more could never be a bad thing... Even if everyone is not that appreciative or reciprocating.

Just this little (or not so little) change in perspective has kinda changed my way of seeing the world... which admittedly hasn't been that great recently. But that's okay, sometimes you need a lot of rain to appreciate the sunshine again (or vice-versa for all you pluviophiles). I can actually feel my heart getting bigger and more loving everyday, now this introvert just has to work on showing it to the people that matter.

Keep those hearts going for the people you care about dear readers.

Until we meet again
Talia

P.S. If anyone happens to be a charitable billionaire this art student is always happy to get more art supplies too!

An Enlightening Experiment

So dear readers... Today is Monday... I am a day late and a dollar short with this post... and for that I cannot apologise enough. But alas life goes on, and so does this blog. And what's been on my mind this week is the idea of Experimenting. No, not with substances of a questionable nature but rather with regards to Art.

Do you ever get those times when someone gives you free reign with an assignment and you have so many ideas that you don't actually know where to start? That happened to me with a particular Fine Arts Assignment that I have due this week. This is basically how this assignment worked: Each person in the class was given a specific topic, which we have freedom to respond to in any way we choose. Mine was the following piece of photocopied text:

"All the forms of auxiliary apparatus which we have invented for the improvement or intensification of our sensory functions are built on the same model as the sensory organs themselves or portions of them: For instance, spectacles, photographic cameras or ear-trumpets. Measured by this standard devices to aid the memory seem imperfect since our mental apparatus accomplishes precisely what they cannot: it as an unlimited receptive capacity for new perceptions and lays down permanent - though not unalterable - memory-traces of them." 

So, that was my topic. Quite a mouthful isn't it?

All the words that are in blue are the words that stuck out to me when I read this topic the first time... And I wanted to work around the ways in which I've learnt to memorise something... And the first thing I thought of was writing things, because that is my distinct way of memorising something and also having a memory-trace of it...

So I decided to experiment with layering pieces of writing and displaying it on a light box... And here is the final result:

Home made light box sans light

Text layers with lights on

Text Close-Up

If you want to know the relevance of the writing. I wrote the above passage of text repeatedly in progressively smaller text until I was able to recite the passage word for word. Thus a tangible outcome of a memory aiding device became my work for this project... And I have to say, I think this experiment turned out quite successfully.

And this is the week where every assignment is due, so I am off to get more stuff done dear readers.

Until we meet again
Talia

The Ultimate Aim of an Artist

Today marks the passing of the first week of March. As I'm sure you've noticed dear readers, Time seems quite important to me. And the truth is that it is. Time is the one thing that no human being can escape from, no matter how hard you try. Time can swallow you whole and never let you see the light of day again. But time can also remind you of how precious each and every moment of your life is. Time can be generous.
Time can be deadly.
Time is what you make of it.

That is what I've noticed this year. Even though I've spent each day of this year doing something meaningful to me, whether it's through work or pleasure, it still astounds me how quickly time seems to be going this year.

On Friday afternoon, for our Fine Arts lecture we had Francis McKee lecture us. He is a Scottish curator. I found him to be incredibly bubbly and cheerful considering the depth of the things he was telling us at times. One of the things he said really got to me.

"Immortality is the artist's ultimate aim"

I have never heard it so plainly and profoundly worded. Time is what the artist ultimately aims to defy. Even though we only have a finite amount of time to make work, our main goal is for the art we make to outlive us, to become immortal. Our souls become immortal as artist's because they are entrenched in everything we do. And here I think it applies to so much more than just visual art, it applies to writing, poetry, music, anything that carries a small fragment of us. 

I think these little profound gems that people share are so easily lost among the world, purely because the world doesn't pay enough attention, or take enough time to see it. People ask me how I always find something to write about (whether it's through my blog or in my daily journal), the truth is this. There will be more words than I will ever be able to write, all I have to do is pay attention. There is more inspiration in this world in each and every human being than I will ever be able to make art about. But if I can create one inspiring piece of writing or a work of art that lets people see a tiny bit of the magic in this world, and it becomes immortal, I think I have done my job as an artist.

It's time to start immortalising the important things in the world. 

Until we meet again

Talia

You Reap What You Sow

Hello There Dear Readers!

No this isn't an entirely proper post, but I thought I'd just share some of my work that was completed this week! For Art History, we are currently studying Landscapes In Art, with our main focus this being The Mined Landscape. As part of our lectures, we went on an excursion to the Krugersdorp Mine Fields (In Gauteng, South Africa). Our assignment is based on our interpretation of this landscape.

What stood out for me the most, was that the impoverished people in the area are trying to grow mielies (or corn for those abroad) didn't know that the soil and underground water beneath them had been contaminated by Acid Mine Drainage. In essence, the very thing that was keeping them alive was also killing them. This struck me quite profoundly, and this is the work I produced as a result of this realisation:

 You Reap What You Sow

Watercolour and Red Ink on Paper

21cm x 29,7cm

2015

That's all for now dear readers, I'm off to get some creative things done!

Until We Meet Again

Talia

Time Waits For No Artist

Today is the First of March...That means that 1/6th of the year has already passed, and so quickly it seems too. I'm not sure if it's just me, but it seems like every year seems to move faster than the one before it. Time can be quite terrifying, it feels as if there is never enough but at the same time it can be overwhelming... how quickly a long space of time will actually pass.

Perspective wise, I have spent 12 years of my life in school. That is more than a decade of time that seemed to go so quickly... and now I'm already in my second year of my degree, another two years and I would have completed my undergrad.

So as you can plainly see, dear readers, Time has been breathing down my neck as of late... But that's alright. It's what you make of your time that counts more than anything else. And I have to say, I guess that's why productivity matters so much to me. During the 3 month holiday, I did feel like so much potential got wasted. So now I guess I'm trying to make up for it by being productive.

And I have to say, I am liking being back at varsity. Yes it means crazy traffic in the morning and unspeakably bad admin, but the truth is, I thrive on working and making things, I am starting to feel like an artist in the making. Even keeping this blog going is in some bizarre way helping me to stay sane!

For now I don't have much new work to post, mostly because it's still being made, but you shall be the first to see anything new my dear readers. Remember, being busy doesn't necessarily mean being productive!

Until we meet again
Talia

Parks and Recreation

I have survived week one of Second Year dear readers! And I have returned with a revelation... Balance in varsity life might just, JUST, be possible this year!

Last year I didn't have much of a social life to speak of (More like none at all), and I used to spend almost all my time at varsity. And when I wasn't in class or staying late, I was working like a machine at home. I'd gotten to the point where a social life just felt like a triviality: Good for occasional fun but not necessary for survival.

After this week, I can say that I was being stubborn and just plain anti-social. Yes, not having a social life meant that I could get all the work done and to a pretty high standard... But here's the thing. Interacting with other people is so integral to the way we function and grow. Other people are so important, your family, your friends, your neighbour (who may also be your best friend), even your dog, cat and rabbit are important!

This week, I consciously made a point of working productively during the hours I was at class and more importantly the hours in-between (I'm sure the people working at the library must recognise me by now!). This productivity isn't just good for the mind and not to mention the work, the productivity also means I get things done before they're due. I show up at class prepared with the readings and research. I have a good idea of all the deadlines and when to start... But most importantly, I have my weekend back.

This weekend, I actually had the time to spend with the people that matter to me. And I enjoyed that time so much. I think it was the most enjoyable weekend I've had in a long time, the perfect balance between work and play, productivity and relaxation.

Now that I've given myself enough time to get assignments done, I also have the opportunity to enjoy the assignments. At the moment, we're learning how to use DSLR cameras on manual, giving us full control of the image. I still have a lot of practising to do, but I think my first attempts didn't come out too horrendously... This is probably my favourite photo from the park.

Hopefully by the next post I'll be able to share some more experienced photographs and maybe even some secrets to productivity.

Until we meet again
Talia